Whether you’re a sales professional delivering working from a large prospect list, or a business person on the receiving end of a cold call, the unsolicited sales call often creates discomfort in both parties.

But a review of tips from respected sales experts shows that cold calling can turn into a happy win-win situation for everyone.

Here are the top guidelines that experts consistently mention:

Be genuine, be yourself. This requires real conversation, not reading scripts.

Research your prospects to determine their needs and identify what you have in common that can be used to fuel conversation and create bonding.

Delay pushing for your sales goal right away. Instead, focus on the prospect’s problems, which you can acknowledge and validate, demonstrating that you care.

You only have a few seconds at the beginning of your call before you risk losing the prospect. Prepare a confident, concise opening statement that provides the all-important WIFM (“What’s in it for me”), drawing in the prospect and creating the conditions for real conversation.

Remember always: It’s not about you, it’s about the prospect.

Here are a couple of examples:

Inc.com (Inc. Magazine) suggests: “The most effective way to open a conversation is to connect your call to…’trigger events.’” What’s a trigger event? An event or announcement the prospect’s company has made that you can connect to your product or service solution. An example would be that the company recently opened a new facility. Inc.com offers 16 of these trigger events.

Also from Inc.com comes the case study of an art consultant who generated surprising sales from a list by using light-hearted, self-deprecating humor: “Hi, this is Patty Glass with the Art Co., and this is a cold call. I bet you get a million of these. Fasten your seat belt — here’s another one.”

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